Pentagon Deploys $1 Billion to Secure Antimony as China Cuts Supply by 97%

Equity Insider News Commentary

Issued on behalf of RUA GOLD Inc.

VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Equity Insider News Commentary – Antimony prices have surged above $40,000 per ton as Western nations scramble to replace Chinese supply following export restrictions that slashed shipments by 97%^[1]. The Pentagon recently deployed nearly $1 billion in October 2025 to rebuild domestic antimony stockpiles for defense applications including ammunition, night vision systems, and nuclear weapons^[2]. This critical-minerals crisis has positioned Western antimony developers as strategic national security assets, creating unprecedented opportunities for RUA GOLD Inc. (TSXV:RUA) (OTCQB:NZAUF), Nova Minerals Limited (NASDAQ:NCM), Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (NYSE-American: USAS) (TSX: USA), and International Tower Hill Mines (NYSE-American: THM) (TSX:ITH).

Market analysts at Future Markets Insights project the global antimony market will expand from $2.15 billion in 2025 to $3.17 billion by 2035, driven by defense stockpiling, flame retardant demand, and battery applications^[3]. With Montana's only operating antimony smelter expanding capacity 400% and government contracts flowing to domestic producers^[4], Western antimony miners are capturing unprecedented strategic value as supply chain security trumps traditional commodity economics.

RUA GOLD Inc. (TSXV:RUA) (OTCQB:NZAUF) is emerging as a strategic player in the critical minerals space, controlling what may be one of the Western world's most significant undeveloped antimony resources at a time when global supply chains face unprecedented disruption. With China's antimony export restrictions, New Zealand formally designating it as a critical mineral earlier this year, RUA GOLD's dual-commodity gold-antimony projects in the historically prolific Reefton Goldfield are attracting increasing institutional attention.

The company recently delivered exceptional high-grade results from its expanding Auld Creek project, including standout intercepts of 17m at 9.8g/t AuEq (3.6g/t Au & 1.5% Sb) and 8m at 8.9g/t AuEq (6.2g/t Au & 0.6% Sb). These September results demonstrated significant strike extension of the current resource. Drilling extended the mineralized system both vertically, from 160m to over 300m depth, and along strike from 350m to 620m. Critically, surface samples have returned over 40% antimony, and several drill holes exceed 8% Sb, grades rarely seen this early in a project's development cycle.

"These drill results from Auld Creek have significantly expanded the scale and potential of the project and put us well on the way to growing the resource base as we announced last month," said Robert Eckford, CEO of RUA GOLD. "Importantly, the mineralized system has been extended both vertically and along strike and remains open in all directions."

RUA GOLD recently announced a major expansion to its Reefton drill campaign, mobilizing a third rig and targeting over 4,000 metres of new drilling at Auld Creek to grow the gold-antimony resource above 300,000 ounces by year-end. The company also has a third rig drilling across the remainder of the district, focusing on highly-ranked prospects highlighted by its VRIFY AI targeting process. The regional exploration program has already yielded promising results, with rock chip samples grading 14.3g/t gold discovered over 30km south of Reefton at the Bell Hill permit.

The antimony component adds strategic significance beyond typical gold exploration. With China controlling approximately 60% of global antimony production and implementing strict export controls, Western nations are scrambling to secure alternative sources for this defense-critical metal used in everything from ammunition to flame retardants and advanced batteries. New Zealand's formal designation of antimony as a critical mineral positions RUA GOLD's projects within a broader national security framework, potentially accelerating permitting pathways.

Throughout October, the executive team completed an ambitious international conference schedule that showcased the company's high-grade gold-antimony story to institutional investors across three continents. The tour spanned six major mining investment events including the Munich Mining Conference, the Metals & Mining Virtual Investor Conference, Hidden Gems Conference in New York, the International Mining and Resources Conference in Sydney, the West Coast Minerals Forum in New Zealand, and concluded with the prestigious Swiss Mining Institute Conference in Zurich this week.

"We're excited to showcase RUA GOLD on this global stage and connect with some of the top minds in mining investment," said Eckford. "With antimony supply tightening and gold reaching further record highs, RUA GOLD is positioned to be the next explorer transitioning to developer in New Zealand."

The Reefton Goldfield is a historically prolific district that produced more than 2 million ounces at grades up to 50 g/t. RUA GOLD now controls 120,000 hectares (roughly 95%) in the area and has confirmed multiple stacked mineralized shoots at Auld Creek. Two rigs are currently drilling at the project, testing the Bonanza shoot in the north and the Fraternal shoot in the south, with surface soil geochemistry confirming the system can be traced over a 2.5km strike length.

On the North Island, drill access applications have been submitted for RUA's Glamorgan project in the Hauraki Goldfield, home to the 10 Moz Martha mine. Glamorgan's 4 km gold-arsenic anomaly has been refined using VRIFY's DORA AI engine, with drilling expected to begin in Q4.

With $14 million in cash and a leadership team behind US$11 billion in prior exits, RUA GOLD is well-positioned to deliver meaningful discovery growth across both islands. The combination of high-grade gold exploration potential and strategic antimony exposure creates a compelling dual-commodity profile at a time when both metals are commanding premium attention from global investors.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for RUA GOLD at:  https://equity-insider.com/2025/04/24/others-found-1911-g-t-here-before-now-a-proven-11b-mining-team-is-back-to-finish-the-job/

In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

Nova Minerals Limited (NASDAQ:NVA) has commenced procurement of critical mining and processing equipment for its Estelle starter antimony operations and downstream antimony refinery at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, targeting first production of military-grade antimony trisulfide for 2026/27. The company holds approximately A$83.0M in funding, including A$17.5M in cash and a US$43.4M 24-month award from the U.S. Department of War, positioning it as the sole emerging, fully integrated U.S. antimony producer.

"Nova is rapidly progressing to become a fully-integrated domestic producer of military-grade antimony," said Christopher Gerteisen, CEO of Nova Minerals. "Fuelled by a non-dilutive US$43.4 million award from the U.S. Department of War, we are currently procuring mining and processing equipment expected for delivery in January 2026. We're currently ahead of schedule, moving towards our first expected production by 2026/27 with urgency."

Key equipment purchases include two ore sorters following successful test work that achieved 60.3% antimony recovery in a single pass, upgrading feed grade from 15.2% to 35.2% Sb—a 2.3-fold improvement. The company continues to attract interest from other antimony projects seeking offtake agreements beyond Estelle's stockpiles, advancing discussions with strategic partners to secure additional antimony supply.

Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (NYSE-American: USAS) (TSX: USA), the only current U.S. antimony producer, has announced strong antimony production results at its Galena Complex in Idaho, reporting 447,466 pounds of antimony and 615,817 pounds of copper for the first three quarters of 2025. The year-to-date antimony output alongside copper underscores Galena's strategic critical metals importance, with a consistent Sb:Cu ratio averaging approximately 0.73—slightly above the historical 0.69-to-1 ratio from previously announced test work.

"Highlighting Galena as the only producing antimony mine in the United States, I am thrilled to announce both antimony and copper production from our Galena Complex," said Paul Andre Huet, Chairman and CEO of Americas Gold and Silver. "This is the first time under our new management that we are reporting antimony production, reflecting a new era where the antimony and copper from our tetrahedrite ore have the potential to drive significant future revenues. With our recently announced breakthrough of 99%+ antimony extraction from flotation concentrate grading approximately 19% antimony, and the potential to realize on commercial recovery and marketable antimony products that can be produced using proven metallurgical processes, we are in a very strong position to be a major supplier of critical metals that the United States needs."

The antimony production announced has been delivered while the company makes investments into several growth projects at Galena to set the stage for future near-term production growth. As the company continues to execute its strategy to scale silver production materially by several multiples, potentially restoring historical production levels, it expects to concurrently increase antimony output driven by its focus on increasing production of high-grade silver tetrahedrite ore, which is the primary host for antimony and copper at Galena.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSE-American: THM) (TSX:ITH) has received encouraging results from the first phase of its antimony metallurgy study at the Livengood Gold Project in Alaska, where 54 veins of massive stibnite were detailed during geological modeling. The company compiled four metallurgical composites from individual veins with antimony grades ranging from 1.05% to 2.75% Sb, with samples sent to Advanced Mineral Technology Laboratory Ltd. in London, Ontario for deportment work.

Results for all samples indicate that antimony is carried by stibnite, most of the stibnite is of floatable size (>10 micron), liberation of stibnite is very good at the grind size of p80 250 micron, and the samples have potential to respond well to flotation. The company intends to immediately commence the next phase of test work at SGS Vancouver and SGS Lakefield to assess potential flowsheets, evaluate how samples respond to flotation, and determine concentrate characteristics, though much more metallurgical and extensive work would be required before any determination of antimony recoverability could be established.

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SOURCES CITED:

1.   https://www.mining.com/pentagon-moves-to-build-1-billion-critical-minerals-stockpile-to-counter-china-report

2.   https://www.metaltechnews.com/story/2025/10/15/tech-metals/pentagon-launches-critical-minerals-mission/2512.html

3.   https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/antimony-market

4.   https://thewesternnews.com/news/2025/oct/07/montana-antimony-facility-to-expand-increase-production-of-critical-mineral/ 

 

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